


Can Never Be

by musicnerd



Series: Can Never Be [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe is a Different Show/Book Series, But it's not That Simple, Don't worry there's going to be a happy ending we just have to suffer a bit to get there, Legend of the Seeker/Sword of Truth, M/M, Magnus still has magic but it's different, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Requited Love, Shadowhunters have no powers they're just normal, Shadowhunters mythology but adapted to different plot, Tolkien Style Fantasy, basically there's magic and swords and castles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-02-22 23:58:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13177986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicnerd/pseuds/musicnerd
Summary: Alec leads a simple life as a woodsman just trying to please his parents. All of that changes when Magnus stumbles into his life finally giving him a purpose along with a quest, a sword, a book, and a love he can never have.AU based on the TV series "Legend of the Seeker" which was based on Terry Goodkind's "The Sword of Truth" book series. Characters belong to Shadowhunters TV and Cassandra Clare and plot belongs to Legend of the Seeker TV and Terry Goodkind.





	1. Running

**Author's Note:**

> This work is entirely based on Terry Goodkind's works and their adaptations. I have made minor adjustments to both the Shadowhunters characters and Goodkind's plot in order to fit them together. If you have any questions about the terminology in this fic please let me know and I'd be happy to make some sort of glossary to attach to the fic. I have done my best to try to explain everything within the story but I can't promise it's flawless.

_We just have to make it through the forest and across the prairie. Through the forest and across the prairie, then we have a chance._ Two horses galloped over the worn trail winding through a thinning wood. The roar of their hoofs was echoed by the four steeds following at their heels. The two lead horses ran faster, being pushed harder by their riders as if their lives depended on it. The truth was that they did, both the riders and the horses would only live if they outran the four behind them. _Through the forest and across the prairie, we’re almost there._

Finally, the leading horses emerged from the shelter of the trees and into the open, dimming sunlight. They raced down the small hill towards the wide grassland. _Across the prairie, then we’re safe._

As the four following riders also entered the clear plane, one pulled a crossbow from his back. He scavenged for a bolt in the dwindling quiver strapped to his belt. Releasing the reins of the chocolate stallion, he raised the weapon so he could gaze across the well formed, polished wood and take aim at his target.

One shot. One second.

In that very same moment, the bolt found its way into the back of one of the leading riders.

The rider, a teenage girl, lost control of her hands. Her fingers slipped from the leather reins of her spotted horse and she slid from its saddle-less back. The other leading rider heard her shriek of pain when the arrow hit and turned as she fell to help her.

“Catarina!” The rider leapt from his horse and scooped up his companion. He propped her in a sitting position in front of himself then scrambled back onto his animal’s back. He kicked his feet against the horse and regained his previously tremendous speed.

“You should have left me there, Magnus.” Catarina mumbled.

“You’re my little sister, I never could have left you behind. We started this quest together and we’re going to finish it together.” Magnus replied. _Across the prairie, we’re safe once we cross the Boundary._

Catarina remained silent as she allowed her body to bounce violently against the horse’s back. The bolt still remained lodged in her skin, Magnus not wanting to remove it in fear of causing more damage.

The thunder of the other four horses’ stomps sounded even louder than they did before. Magnus knew his steed couldn’t carry its current pace for long with another person riding it. He also knew it wouldn’t have to.

On the edge of the prairie, a destination that was rapidly approaching, was an endless seeming, green barrier. It was almost possible to see past the rippling surface. This was the Boundary, and safety was on the other side.

The Boundary, created by the ancient wizards of old, was formed to separate the lands and protect those who wished to remain in their territory without disturbance. To touch the Boundary was to surrender your soul to the spirits of the dead and to let yourself be dragged to the Underworld. No one knew of a way to cross the Boundary, well no one but the creature that Magnus carried with him throughout the length of his journey.

In a matter of moments, Magnus’s and Catarina’s horse stopped dead in its tracks. It sensed the danger of the Boundary, and being an intelligent being, refused to cross.

“It’s over Magnus, we’re trapped.” Catarina spoke softly through desperate gasps for air.

“Not quite, I’ve got something not even Rahl could’ve thought of.” He smiled at his sister as he lifted her from the horse and back onto the ground.

Using one arm to keep her from falling, Magnus reached his free hand to his belt where he found a small glass orb, with a faint blue glow, dangling from a silver chain. He quickly untied the chain from his trousers and held it as far in front of him as he could reach.

Suddenly, the milky green surface began to part and formed a thin, open path in its wake.

“The night wisps let Shar come with us so she could get us through the Boundary. We’re getting out of here alive, little sister.” Magnus kissed Catarina on the top of her head before continuing through the newfound route that had been created. He mostly carried her as they both hobbled across the shockingly thick barrier.

They soon crossed to the unknown land on the other side and the wavy wall sealed itself behind them. The both of them collapsed to the ground, laying in the foreign grass. Two simultaneous sighs of relief joined the gentle sounds of birds chirping and soft winds blowing through the meadow.

Magnus looked up at the darkening sky, a part of his vision was however blocked by the endlessly tall Boundary, and realized what had just happened. He and his sister had just outrun a quad of the best trained soldiers, sent by the most powerful tyrant in the world to kill them just as the same cruel ruler had tried to kill the rest of their order of people, and they had survived.

They had escaped from their home, the Midlands, and made it to the neighboring territory, Westland, with nothing more than two horses, the clothes on their backs, a book, a night wisp, and a quest they knew they would die if they did not fulfil.

  


“Well the arrow isn’t going to pull itself out.” Catarina huffed.

“I’m not pulling it out and neither are you, we are going to find a healer and they can pull it out and not kill you in the process.” Magnus explained, “We’ve lived through months of being hunted by that quad and others, I’m not losing you to one lucky shot after we’ve gotten this far.”

“I’m slowing you down. I can find a healer myself and you can do what we came here to do.” Catarina demanded.

“Not a chance.” Magnus still forced the younger to use him like a crutch as they walked through a beautifully dense forest.

The ground was slightly damp, like it had only rained yesterday. The tall trees glowed with a haze of light emerald and glistened with small water droplets. The path they followed was worn far into the ground by what must have been the feet of thousands before them.

The siblings walked for hours until they stumbled upon a miniscule cabin. The mossy stone walkway was far overgrown, with busy ferns peeking out in between every rock. Hoping that someone still lived there, Magnus lead his sister to the door. Upon closer inspection he could see that the dusty wood was warped beyond possible repair and the small door handle was alarmingly rusted.

“Do we knock or….” Catarina began.

“It’s open.” A new voice, from behind them spoke.

Magnus shot around, almost dropping Catarina in the process, to see who was there. A little boy, no older than seven, was looking up at the complete strangers with a basket of herbs on his arm and a grin on his face.

“Who are you?” Magnus questioned cynically.

“I’m Erik, I live here with my nana. Your friend’s hurt, she can help.” The boy, Erik, replied.

“Your nana, she’s a healer?” Magnus clarified.

“Yes.” Erik smiled widely.

Magnus shrugged and opened the creaking door to let Erik in then help Catarina enter. Once he was inside, the boy dropped his basket on a table near the doorway and sprinted past a hole-ridden curtain draped from wall to wall. Magnus and Catarina stood awkwardly by the table, waiting for something other than the quiet murmurs from the other side of the massive cloth.

Suddenly, Erik poked his out from behind the curtain, “Nana can take a look at your friend!”

Catarina sighed in relief and pulled her brother behind her as she hobbled to where Erik had appeared from. Pulling back the fabric, the siblings saw a woman sitting in a cushioned chair. As she stood up, it appeared that she was facing the two of them, but her eyes were glossed over to look milky white.

“You be shot. An arrow in your back.” The old woman stated. She said it with such confidence despite not having even seen Catarina.

“You can help her?” Magnus near pleaded.

“Yes.” The woman answered.

  
“How? Your eyes…” He began.

“There is more than one way to see, child. Being born of magic, you should know this well.” She replied.

“I’m sure my magic works differently than yours.” Magnus sighed.

“I know what you are, and I know why you’ve crossed the Boundary. You must complete your mission. You will always know truth, but you must find the one who seeks it. Your people aren’t the only ones who have suffered and many more will suffer if you fail.” She replied.

“How can you know-”

“Your sister is safe here and when she recovers she will find you. Carry the burden meant for her and prove to those in your home that you deserve the life your mother protected. For every moment that passes more are harmed, go now.” Catarina met Magus’ eyes and nodded.

He knew everything the woman said to be true, though he was confounded that she could possibly know all that.

_Catarina is safe. Creator knows how a witch lives in Westland, but she could never harm another child of the Gift._

Magnus waved goodbye to Catarina and left through the same door they entered. He hoisted his pack back on his shoulders. He knew he was near the end of his journey, at least the end of the beginning.

  


“And where have you been all day? You’ll never look halfway decent with so little time to prepare!” Robert snapped.

“I’m sorry, Father. I was sparring with Jace and Izzy and then I was finishing the south bridge.” Alec answered.

“How is it that your siblings always make it to these things on time but you’re so late?” Robert sighed.

“I lost track of time. I’m sorry.” Alec continued to apologize.

“You’re forgiven. Now go to your house and get dressed. This party is no simple event. If you’re ever to take my place on the council, you must have a wife and there will be plenty of fine ladies to meet tonight.”

“Yes, Father.” Alec murmured and started off. He had gone to his father’s in the hopes of getting out of the party. He really did hate these things.

For nearly five hours, he would stand in a crowded room in his most uncomfortable clothes while his parents paraded whatever pretty girl his age they could find in front of him. He couldn’t even eat more than a few cheeses without getting scolded while Izzy and Jace got to get drunk and play cards with Max.

Alec untied his speckled mare from her post outside his father’s house and adjusted her saddle, “We’ve got to hurry home, Chestnut. No stopping in the apple orchard.”

He slid onto her back and began a light trot. _Horses don’t get pressured to marry. Horses just get to walk around all day and eat grass._ Alec grumbled internally. He stayed on the path towards his house, deep into the forest outside the town, at least he intended to stay on the path.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alec spotted something incredibly strange. A figure, one who appeared short and lithe, dashed through the wood. It looked to be a man, dressed all in black with his cloak billowing out behind him. The fact that his clothes were so finely tailored, out of place for the dense Hartland woods, was interesting enough, but that he was running as if his life depended on it was even more intriguing.

More interesting was the four armoured men running not twenty paces behind him. Maybe his life did depend on this sprint.

Alec reared his horse around and ran her parallel to the man. _He’ll have to come around the hill towards Dead Man’s Bluff. If I cut him off from the men, I can help him escape. He can tell Father why he’s being chased and then Father can arrest the men._

Chestnut responded immediately to Alec’s heels against her sides. She broke into a sprint that took them to the edge of the hill in only a minute.

Alec stopped her there and waited. Within seconds, the man in black exploded out of a knot of trees and spotted Alec waiting for him.

“Get on!” Alec called.

“Why are you helping me?” The man paused in front of Chestnut.

“Because you're in danger. You’re outnumbered by those men, four to one, and they’re heavily armed. I can take you to safety and my father can have them arrested.” Alec said urgently and shot out his hand, “Now get on!”

The man ignored Alec’s gesture and hopped onto Chestnut’s saddle behind him without aid, “They’ll kill you for helping me, so ride fast.”

“They looked like they were going to kill you, any reason why?” Alec asked as lightheartedly after kicking Chestnut back into a run.

“I could have defended myself.” The man murmured.

“How’s that? They were nearly twice my size and I’ve definitely got some muscle mass on you.” Alec laughed.

“Is that so?” The man moved his cloak over his shoulder to reveal his arm, which was just about the size of Alec’s, “Don’t assume a person’s power by their appearance.”

“Well in my defense, your cloak does create an amorphous look, and black is a slimming color.”

“But I do wear it so well.” Alec could hear the man’s smile.

“I’m Alexander, but most people call me Alec.” He answered.

“I can’t imagine why.” The man said flatly.

“What?”

“Why would anyone call you Alec, Alexander has such a nice ring to it.”

Alec grinned to himself, though he tried to hide it, “What about you?”

“What about me?” The man asked.

“What’s your name?”

“I can’t tell you that.” The man answered, any light or happy tone immediately leaving the air.

Alec frowned and kept riding, deciding not to push it. Soon enough, the two of them were approaching Robert’s house.

The party appeared to be in full swing. Music swelled from inside the house and the posts near were barely visible under all the ties that attached horses to them. A few wagons pulled away from the house, onto the main road after depositing their passengers.

“There’s a party here tonight, but my father will still speak with you. He won’t let those men kill you.” Alec reassured. He slid off Chestnut’s saddle and, after the man did the same, walked her to one of the posts. He tied her reins loose enough that she could move around to find some grass to munch on.

Alec and his passenger entered Robert’s home through wide double doors. Inside they found nearly every citizen of Hartland, and maybe even the outlying villages, drinking and mingling. Everyone had adorned their finest clothes, however this ranged from dusted off farm trousers to silk shirts.

Alec searched the room with his eyes until they quickly landed on Robert, Father!”

Robert’s attention moved from his conversation to Alec immediately. He stalked over, looking more than upset, “Alexander Gideon Lightwood! You promised me you would get dressed and here you are looking like a pig fresh out of a mud bath!”

“I was on my way home to get dressed when I found him,” Alec gestured to the man, “he was being chased by men in the woods. They were wearing armour, not anything that the Hartland guard has, and they had their swords drawn. They were going to kill him.”

“And why do you bring this man here? So those that pursue him can also kill anyone in Hartland?” Robert grumbled.

“No! So you can send a patrol of the guard, of Boundary Wardens even, and arrest those men.” Alec replied.

Robert sighed and turned to face the man, “And who exactly are you that you have assassins after you?”

The man drew down his hood and looked at Robert coldly, “I committed the crime of being born to an order that a tyrant despises. Do well to remember that not all who are persecuted are guilty.”

“That does not answer my question. What is your name, where do you come from?” Robert demanded.

“I can’t tell you that.” He answered.

“Then leave my home and my land. I will not have a stranger bringing danger on my people.” Robert commanded.

“Fine. I have my own business to complete anyways.” The man turned on his heel and made for the door. Alec scowled at his father, not having thought of a decent response to him.

“Wait!” Alec called out to the man.

He stopped but did not turn to face Alec, “What?”

“Let me help you. I can, I don’t know, protect you while you finish whatever business you have and then help you get somewhere safe.” Alec pleaded.

“If you try to help me, you will die. My mission will take me farther than Westland and there is nowhere safe until it is complete.” He retorted.

“What do you mean ‘father than Westland’? There’s nowhere to go, not with the Boundary separating us from the Midlands and D’hara.” Alec thought carefully, “Unless… did you cross the Boundary? Are you from the Midlands?”

“Yes,” the man sighed, “and the men that hunt me are from D’hara. The ruler of D’hara, Valentine Rahl, wants me and all of my people dead. He’s a tyrant who terrorizes not only his people but those of the Midlands. And he means to extend his power, maybe even all the way to your home. There is a man, here in Westland, who can and who will kill him and free the lands from his tyranny. I have to find him and aid him in his quest.”

“And I can help you!” Alec insisted, “If those men kill you, you’ll never finish what you’ve started. You won’t find this man that you’re searching for and Valentine Rahl will continue to hurt innocent people.”

“I won’t let you die for my fight.” The man faced Alec, “All I can ask of you is a name. There is a wizard here in Westland, he will lead me to the man I seek.”

“There is no magic in Westland. That’s why the Boundary was put up in the first place, to divide those who wished to live in a world of magic and those who didn’t.” Alec explained.

“Evidently, magic can be in Westland as it is possible to cross the Boundary.” The man quipped.

“In that case, I’ll help you find the wizard. I know nearly everyone in Hartland and I know every path off the roads The men looking for you won’t be able to track you if you’re with me. We’ll find the wizard and then you can find the man you’re looking for and defeat Valentine Rahl.” Alec suggested.

“Why are you so persistent? I don’t want your help.” The man shot back.

“Logic tells me that you’re going to get hurt without it and I don’t want to see an innocent person get hurt.” Alec reasoned.

“How do you know that I’m innocent?”

“You’ve done nothing to prove yourself guilty of anything.”

The man stood silently for a moment. He opened his mouth and lifted his hand as if he were about to speak, but then dropped them, “Magnus.”

“What?” Alec asked, bewildered.

“My name is Magnus. Magnus Bane.” He sighed.

Alec smiled and took a step towards Magnus, “Nice to meet you Magnus Bane, I’m Alec Lightwood.” He stuck out his hand.

Magnus shook it awkwardly. While he tried to hide it by glancing down, Alec caught a smile growing on his face.

“So… where do we start?” Alec began to untie Chestnut from her post.

Magnus grabbed the reins from his hands the moment they were free from their knot, “We start by giving me the lead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a lot of things are unexplained in this chapter but I promise they'll all become explained in the next. If you still find some things confusing, let me know and I'd be happy to write up a glossary.


	2. Finding

“Turn onto that path, to the right of the stump.” Alec gestured.

“There’s no path there.” Magnus answered.

“Yes, there is.” Alec pointed, “Just drop the reins and let Chestnut go on her own, she knows how to get back to my house.”

“You want me to entrust my life to a horse?”

“She’s a smart horse and she knows where she’s going, you don’t.” Alec argued in frustration.

“Fine, we’ll listen to the horse.” Magnus threw his hands up.

While it was astonishing to see a horse walk all the way back to what Alec said was his house without any guidance, it was also infuriating to know that he had been not only wrong but less intelligent than a horse in any circumstance.

“Look! There’s my house right there.” Alec pointed to the little cottage on the edge of the forest treeline, “I told you Chestnut knew.” Magnus chose to hold his tongue both out of kindness to Alec and to save himself anymore possible embarrassment.

As they got closer to the house however, he could no longer honor this promise to himself, “Alec, do you live with anyone?” Magnus began.

“No, just me and Chestnut. Izzy and Jace visit a lot but-”

“There is smoke coming out of your chimney and based on the stench I’m not inclined to believe someone has decided to roast nuts in your home.”

Alec looked closely, seeing the column of dark black smoke rising from his short chimney, “Something inside my house is burning, maybe wood or straw. I must have forgotten to blow out one of the candles before I left this morning. We have to go in there and put it out.” He began to slide of Chestnut’s side.

Magnus snatched his arm and ragged him back onto the horse, “Are you mad!?”

“What?”

“The men chasing me must have seen you help me and somehow found out who you are. They’re probably in your house right now setting a trap so that way they can interrogate and then kill you.”

“That’s insane-”

“We have to leave now.” Magnus ordered.

“My home is on fire! There’s no one in there but there is everything I own so we need to go put it out!” Alec nearly jumped off of Chestnut’s back so that Magnus couldn’t stop him.

“Alec, no!” Magnus yelled after the other man broke into a sprint to his house. only moments later, someone in full plated body armour burst through the front door, a fire roaring behind him inside.

Alec staggered back, “Who are you? What do you want?”

“The abomination.” The man gestured his sword to point at Magnus, still sitting atop Chestnut.

“You can’t have him.” Alec said firmly, not knowing where this sudden confidence came from.

“Fine, just know that you brought this on yourself.” The man began to raise his sword over his head. Alec saw the move coming from a mile away and ran directly into the man’s middle, tackling him to the ground. He snatched up the sword that was dropped in the assault and ran back to Magnus.

Magnus, however, was already engaged in something. Three more men had appeared and were fighting him. Two were approaching with swords drawn while Magnus was fighting one of them directly. Where he had gotten the two knives he was wielding from was a mystery to Alec.

Despite how fluid and well timed his moves with those knives seemed to be, it was a losing battle. Alec knew the other man would over power him soon enough, not to mention the other two who were nearly upon him.

Just when Magnus had been disarmed and it seemed lost for him, even with Alec running to him as fast as possible, he suddenly snatched his attacker's neck.

Instantaneously, a shock wave hit the air. It was as if there had been thunder without sound. The branches on the trees shook from the impact and Alec felt some kind of force push him back onto the ground. All the while, Magnus and his attacker seemed to be staring at each other in deep concentration.

When it felt like sound had finally returned to the world, Magnus collapsed to the ground and the other man snatched up the sword he had dropped. Instead of striking his original target, he charged the other two men and engaged them in a fierce, aggressive fight.  

After only moments of the flurry of swords, one of the two men fell dead and the other grabbed the man who turned on them by the shoulder and ran him through. He stalked towards Magnus, who still lay on the ground, panting from exhaustion.

“You’re dead, Confessor-” He fell gracelessly. Magnus could see Alec standing behind him, holding the sword he had taken by the butt.

“You just saved my life.” Magnus looked up at him in total bewilderment.

“Yeah well, you were right in the first place so I guess I owe it to you for not listening.” Alec smiled. He slid the sword through one of the loops in his pants and stretched his hand out for Magnus, “Let’s go find that wizard before more people start trying to kill you.”

Magnus took the hand offered and allowed himself to be pulled back up to his feet. He looked over Alec, still awed and confused. _How can my life sit in his hands?_

“You’re right, we do need to find that wizard. Saddle your horse so we can get going.” Magnus commanded.

“Alright.” Alec answered hesitantly, noticing the abrupt mood change. He walked over to where Chestnut had scampered off to in the fight.

“So tell me,” Magnus called, “is there anyone in Westland who is particularly odd or revered? Someone who tends to get what they want from others, or is completely avoided?”

“The only person who comes to mind is the old lady Tessa. She lives on the apple orchard hill. Sometimes kids will run up there to steal the apples, I did when I was little, but she kinda terrifies everyone. I see youngsters sprinting for their lives down that hill if she sees them.” Alec ventured.

“A mean old lady who scares kids who take her fruit? There’s hundreds of them in the Midlands, I hardly think that’s a lead.”

“She’s the strangest person anyone knows. They say she had two husbands and that she never really ages, it’s all just a disguise so people don’t notice her staying young forever.” Alec elborated.

“If it’s the best we’ve got so let’s go.” Magnus sighed. As soon as Alec had come back with a fully saddled Chestnut, the two of them climbed back on the horse. This time, Alec sat first and held the reins while Magnus sat pondering his entire situation.

_I cannot let my life rest in his hands, or anyone’s. I have to find the wizard, find the seeker, and get back to Catarina. Only then will either of us have a prayer at surviving this._

 

“Now there, Church, can you see it? It’s in the clouds. You can see everything in the clouds.”

Alec and Magnus began to dismount Chestnut silently, not wanting to disturb Tessa. The old woman was standing with her back to the them on a boulder, close off the path that lead straight to her house. She was cradling a cat in her arms and, much to both men’s discomfort, completely naked.

“What do we do? Do we talk to her? Why is she naked?” Magnus whispered.

“I don’t know, you’re the one who knows about magic, not me.” Alec answered.

“I can hear you boys talking over there, you know.” Tessa craned her neck slightly around.

“Wizard,” Magnus began, “I come seeking your aid. The prophecy must come to pass of any of us are to survive the coming days. Tell me where to find the seeker.”

“The what? The who?” Alec interrupted.

“Hush, child.” Tessa turned around to face them properly, causing both Magnus and Alec to averted their eyes immediately, “Both of you come inside.”

“Would you mind putting on any clothes? Even a robe, please it discomforts me to see a lady like this outside marriage.” Magnus nearly begged.

“You know very well that you will never marry, child. But if you truly wish, I will dress despite how incredibly comfortable I am currently. Only under one condition, however.” Tessa declared.

“And what’s that?”

“Pick your friend up from the ground. Not only is his shirt getting soiled but if he gets any more blood on that path I’ll never be able to keep the weeds from sprouting.” She said casually.

Magnus instantly turned to look wear Alec was standing, only to find him collapsed and passed out, “Alexander!” He grabbed Alec’s arm and slung it over his shoulder. When he placed his hand on the other’s back to steady him, he felt a wet patch of blood along his shoulder blade.

Magnus moved as quickly as he could to bring Alec into the house. The door was left open by Tessa and by the time he had entered, she wore a simple brown robe and gestured towards a bed near the doorway.

“How did this happen?” Magnus asked Tessa as he laid Alec down on his stomach.

“How should I know? You’re the one who’s been with him half the day.” She stepped closer to examine his wound, “He was struck by a sword, it’s a minor cut. As long as it is bandaged, he will regain consciousness soon.”

“Fade must have gotten him in the fight.” Magnus thought out loud.

“Fade?” Tessa inquired.

“Malcolm Fade, he led the quad that has been chasing myself and my sister from the Midlands. He’s Rahl’s right hand.” Magnus explained.

“Unfortunate.” Tessa mumbled, still drawing her fingers across Alec’s cut.

“On the topic of Rahl, you need to help me find the seeker, Wizard.” Magnus demanded.

“Lucky for you, you’ve already found him.” Tessa replied.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re looking for a seeker, you’ve got one lying on the bed right there.” Tessa explained bluntly.

“He’s the seeker! He doesn’t even know what a seeker is! He isn’t trained! Prepared! He knows nothing about his destiny!”

“And who are you to decide another’s destiny?” Tessa shot back.

“I have decided nothing, it’s the prophecy! The Midlands and D’hara will never be free if he cannot do what he is destined to do, and Westland will soon fall.” Magnus pleaded.

“Well sorry this seeker isn’t good enough for you. Go find yourself another who meets your standards.” Tessa spat.

“You know full well that he is the one true seeker. And you were supposed to prepare him for this day, when Valentine would rise from his father’s ashes and rain tyranny down on the Midlands and D’hara. What have you been doing these past twenty years?” Magnus shouted.

“Letting him be a boy. Play in the dirt, run around with his siblings, steal apples from the old woman’s orchard.” Tessa answered.

“And while he got dirty playing or ran down a hill with fruit he stole, did you ever once consider that he just possibly may need to know about his future. What he is prophesied to do? The lives he will have to save? By the Creator, can the man even use a sword? Has he ever so much as glanced at the Gray Book?”

“If he’s so destined to defeat Valentine then why is me training him so important?”

“How do you think he’ll be able to slay Valentine with Stele if he doesn’t know how to wield the damn thing?” Magnus insisted.

“It’s a magical sword, it will guide his hand or something.”

“You’re a wizard, you know better than anyone that’s not how this works.” Magnus retorted.

“Stop yelling!” Alec sat up on the bed, “And is anyone going to tell me what the hell a seeker is?”

Magnus sighed and turned around to face Alec, “A seeker is a person who seeks out the truth at any cost. They arise in times of great need and are often foretold in prophecy. They are named by a wizard of the first order and carry the Sword of Truth, better known as Stele. They undertake a quest, one that often involves great risk and danger to themselves. In order to protect them from this danger, they are always accompanied by a confessor and usually a wizard as well.”

“And what does this have to do with me?” Alec inquired.

“Twenty-one years ago, Valentine Rahl learned of a prophecy. One that predicted a seeker would be born, one who would rise up and destroy him. The child was prophesied to be born in a town called Brennidon. So, in response to the prophecy, Rahl sent his elite soldiers, the Dragon Core, to Brennidon....” Magnus began.

“What happened?” Alec asked. He tried to reach out to comfort Magnus, but withdrew the moment he flinched.

“They broke down every door, found every baby boy, and slaughtered them all.” Tessa finished, “Except for you.”

“What are you talking about?” Alec posed.

“The great First Wizard, leader of their entire order, was tasked with rescuing the destined child from Brennidon and bring him across the Boundary, where Rahl could never find him and he could be raised - trained - to defeat him when the time came. However, this wizard only completed the first part of her mission.” Magnus scowled.

“You’ve got the wrong person,” Alec said bluntly, “I was born here, in Westland, and my parents are Maryse and Robert Lightwood.”

“Maryse is your mother yes, but Robert is not your father.” Tessa explained.

“How dare-”

“Not your father in the normal sense, however he is your father in that he raised you since you were hardly a week old. After I escaped with you from Brennidon, your mother followed soon after and she met me at the Boundary. She met Robert shortly after we crossed and he felt compassion for her, a woman alone with a newborn. They fell in love and were married. A few years later, Maryse had your sister Isabelle and another few years later, your brother Max. Somewhere along the way, they found themselves with another child in need and they took in your adopted brother Jace.” Tessa elaborated.

“You’re lying.” Alec shot up from the bed, “I am a Lightwood-”

“Your eyes are blue.” Tessa pointed out.

“What of it?” Alec spat.

“Robert, Isabelle, Max, and any other blood relative you can trace back have brown eyes. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but brown eyed parents never have blued eyed children unless someone else in the family has blue eyes. Your grandfather, your mother’s father, had eyes just as brilliantly blue as yours. And that smooth raven hair. In fact, you’re nearly the spitting image of him.” Tessa smiled grimly.

Alec paced on the wood floor, one arm massaging his back near his wound, “Why should I believe any of this?”

“Because,” Magnus caught his eye and held his gaze, “so many lives depend on you. Every person in the Midlands and D’hara and more importantly to me, though it pains me to value any one life over another, my people, could be killed.”

“The sisters of Alicante are hardly the best plea for compassion.” Tessa grumbled.

“The children of Alicante.” Magnus corrected.

“They don’t keep boys.”

“They kept me.”

“Your parents gave them little choice.”

“Stop!” Alec shouted, “Stop talking about things I don’t understand. Every time you try to explain anything, I just get more confused. I’m a seeker and I’m supposed to kill someone, this Valentine Rahl. My parents have lied to me my entire life, my father isn’t even my real father, my mother is from the Midlands, and she brought me here with a wizard. And all of this because of some prophecy. Now you’re going on about some people of Alicante - what the hell is Alicante?” Alec sat back down on the bed in frustration.

“Alicante is a city. The capital city of the Midlands. There, the council of the Midlands gathers and creates the laws that guide the land. The city is structured around a palace, built for wizards and confessors.” Magnus explained gently.

“What are confessors?” Alec pleaded in confusion.

“They are an order of women who have a very unique sort of magic. They can see through any lie stated before them, no matter how well a person can speak them. They also have the ability to… release their magic into a person. That magic turns the person they take, they confess, into a slave. Their entire mind is corrupted with an immeasurable amount of love for the one that confessed them.” Tessa answered.

“Love? That can’t be so bad.” Alec thought out loud.

“It’s not that simple.” Magnus sat down next to Alec on the bed, “When a person is confessed, they would do anything for their confessor. Murderers shout their crimes gladly if they think it will at all please their confessor. Men have suffocated because they feared that even breathing may be displeasing. If a group of confessed people were lined up and ordered to pick up a knife across the room and kill themselves with it, they would kill each other bare handed on the way and as they died on the floor, they would feel nothing but the greatest agony for not having completed the task their confessor set before them.”

“Why does anyone wield this power?” Alec asked in horror.

“About a thousand years ago, a wizard, named Raziel, was asked to create this magic by a woman who saw corruption and injustice in the wizards and the council. He bestowed it upon her and unto women she trusted. They began a race of justice seekers. Since then, confessors have held the power over all justice in the Midlands. Because our power allows us to always find the truth, we can dethrone monarchs, make convictions and arrests of any person we declare guilty, and we preside over the council to verify that they bring about justice to the land. We are led by the Mother Confessor, one of our own whom we vote on. She holds her position for life, when she passes, we elect another.” Magnus said.

“But you said that confessors are an order of women, do they select other women to turn into confessors? How did you become one?” Alec asked.

“Confessors are born, none have been made since the first few. Every child of a confessor inherits the power.” Magnus clarified.

“How are they only women then and what about-”

“They kill the boys.” Tessa retorted, “They believe something in the soul of a man is incapable of using the confessor magic for good. Only the soul of a woman can be uncorrupted by that power. The longest a confessor boy had ever lived was to the age of eleven, until apparently you set the new record.”

“You murder children!” Alec reared back in disgust.

“No, if a child is born with the body of a boy - for lack of a better term - they are allowed to live to a certain ago in the hopes that they are truly a girl, with the uncorrupted soul of a woman. Most often, this hope is for naught and then the child is killed, however once I believe, a child in this situation did indeed turn out to be a woman. She was spared and lived out a long life.” Tessa said.

“Are you…” Alec began, facing Magnus.

“No. I am a man. My parents couldn’t bear the thought of me being killed so they hid me away from all other people. For the first fifteen years of my life, the only two people I ever saw were my mother and father. And because my mother was a confessor and she had confessed my father long ago, I was never able to use my power. They thought that if I couldn’t even use it, surely my power could never corrupt me. And some” Magnus looked Tessa directly in the eye, “would say they were right.”

“That hasn’t stopped Penhallow from trying to kill you.” Tessa murmured.

“That’s why I took on the mission to find and accompany the seeker. Jia is old and by the time I’ve returned to Alicante, after Valentine is dead, she likely won’t be ruling as Mother Confessor.” Magnus shot back.

“Let’s say I believe you,” Alec started, “what does all of this mean for me? What exactly am I supposed to do?”

“We will first find my sister, Catarina. I left her at a house near the Boundary, on the Westland side, with a healer. Then we’ll cross and begin the hunt for Valentine Rahl. He moves around D’hara and the Midlands constantly so we can’t simply find him in his palace and kill him there. It will be a long quest. We’ll not only have to find and kill Rahl, but also help the innocent people along the way. The war against Rahl has been hard and sometimes it feels like all hope is lost. The people need a seeker to remind them that they have a fighting chance.” Magnus explained.

“Why should I abandon my family, my siblings, for people I don’t know? For a prophecy?” Alec demanded.

“The quad that was sent after me, they weren’t all killed in the attack by your house. Malcolm Fade, the man that leads them, used to be a wizard who served the confessors, as all wizards of Alicante do, until Valentine bought his services and has been using him to hunt down confessors and all who help us.” Magnus began, “Rahl wants every symbol of justice and rightness in the two lands destroyed. Fade may not know that you’re the seeker but he saw you help me. Your home was just the start, next he’ll kill your family.”

“So I kill him and then I can stay here.” Alec suggested.

“Killing Fade is certainly a necessity but it won’t keep you or your family safe. More quads will come to Westland. After quads, Rahl will send an army. They will kill anyone who stands in their way and believe me that will be almost everyone in your lands.” Magnus answered.

“I need to go find Jace and Izzy and Max. I don’t know what all of this prophecy business is and how I’m involved with it, but I will not leave my family alone.” Alec declared and stormed out of the house and to his horse.

“Alec!” Magnus ran for the door.

“Leave him.” Tessa called to Magnus, “He’ll see and he will come back. He just needs time to understand.”

“For the sake of every living person, I hope you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Catch my trans ass using that trans friendly language also sorry its not ideal but its harder to be trans friendly when you can't use actual scientific words like chromosome because none of your characters even know what a germ is.


	3. Max

Alec burst through the Lightwood’s front door in a flurry, “Max! Izzy! Jace!” He darted through the house, looking for proof that his siblings were still alive.

“Alec, why are you yelling?” Max came out of his room with a blanket over his shoulders, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

“Max!” Alec knelt down and grabbed his brother in a tight embrace, “You’re alright! Where are Jace and Izzy?”

“We’re right here.” Jace murmured as he and Izzy came out of their rooms, “Now what’s all the shouting for?”

Alec finally let go of Max and stood back up, “You’re all in danger, we need to get out of here.”

“By the Creator, what are you talking about? Sit down and explain.” Izzy moved for the dining table. The other three followed her and Alec began his tale. He explained everything from finding Magnus to the fire at his house to going to Tessa’s house and learning all about the prophecy, leaving out only the discussion of his parentage. 

“So you’re a… what again?” Jace asked.

“A seeker, apparently. But I don’t know how much of it believe. The most important thing to focus on now is the man who destroyed my house, he may come after me again or worse you.” Alec answered.

“You’re telling me some crazy ex-wizard is going to try to hunt your family down because you gave this other weird magic person, Magnus, a hand when he was being chased by a quad?” Izzy clarified.

“Yes, but I don’t think he’ll stop with you three, or Mom and Dad. I fear for everyone in Hartland, even Westland. If he’s willing to set a stranger’s house on fire, what else will he do for his cause?” Alec elaborated. 

“Then we kill him.” Jace declared, “It’s all we can do.”

“Let’s get our weapons.” Izzy stood up.

“What about me?” Max yawned.

“Yes,” Robert strood into the kitchen where his children were all meeting, “what do you three plan to do with Max? Leave him here, or take him with you on your mad chase to kill someone?”

“Father, you don’t understand.” Alec began.

“I understand enough. That you ran off with that man, that stranger, and now he has filled your head with lies and plots, so that you’ll carry out his bidding. This is why we don’t allow foreigners to dwell in Hartland. Creator knows where he’s actually from.” Robert scolded.

“That’s not true, Father! He’s from the Midlands, he’s a confessor-” 

“The Midlands! That’s absurd. No one can cross the Boundary. You’re a fool if you believed a word he said.” Robert interrupted.

“You know that’s not true.” Maryse entered the room behind her husband, “Alec, you said this man is a confessor. I wish we had the time for someone to explain how a male confessor was allowed to live, but we don’t. There’s a quad after him?”

“Yes. It’s led by a wizard, Malcolm Fade. He burned down my house and tried to kill me and Magnus, the confessor.” Alec answered.

“You need to kill him, or he won’t stop until he’s raised all of Westland. After you hunt him down, find Tessa. I know she seems like the crazy old woman on the hill but she will explain everything.” 

“I already talked to her. She said-”

“Everything she told you is true.” Maryse stated.

“But she said-”

“I know what she told you, about me and about your father.”

“So it’s true?” Alec pleaded.

“My son,” Maryse held his face, “you are a Lightwood no matter what anyone tells you. Robert is your father, he always will be even though some pig attacked me and helped me bring you into this world. Jace, Isabelle, and Max are your siblings. Now you, Izzy, and Jace need to go. Kill Fade, follow your confessor, and fulfill your destiny.”

  
  


Alec dropped to one knee, barely hovering over the ground, as he traced his fingers along an indent in the dirt, “Fade’s going South, towards Trunt Lake.”

“That’s away from Hartland. There’s only a few small towns past the lake. Why is he going that way?” Jace pondered.

“Maybe he has some sort of cache that he needs weapons from.” Izzy suggested. Both of Alec’s siblings were dressed appropriately for this hunting expedition, heavy leather armor and every weapon it was possible to carry strapped to themselves.

Both Isabelle and Jace served as Boundary Wardens in Hartland’s guard. Their duty was to protect civilians by patrolling the Boundary, so no one wandered too close, and hunting the supposed monsters that came from. Most people in Hartland chose to believe that these creatures that crawled out of this world’s slice of the Underworld were myths and stories to tell children, but Alec and the Boundary Wardens knew that stories didn’t require this much steel to fend off. 

Izzy had gone with her lighter pack of weapons this night; her sword which also had another half dozen knives strapped along the scabbard’s belt, the two short swords strapped to each thigh, throwing knives - not to be confused with the slashing knives on her belt - in a holster on her lower back and inside her boots, and the crisscrossing axes tied across her back. On her wrist she carried one last weapon, her whip. While mastery of all the weapons it’s possible to know was required for the job, she had an affinity for the whip. So much so that she could put out the flame of a candle with it from twenty paces without even damaging the wick. Alec had seen her do it, blindfolded.

Jace had forgone knives that night and instead had daggers tucked into his boots and his belt. He also carried a broadsword on his back and a mace dangled at his waist. In his hands he had two of his short swords drawn from the holsters on his thighs.

Alec always felt undressed in a sense when he hunted with his siblings - though normally for game not a murderous wizard - as he only had his bow, quiver, and a backup dagger in his belt. His only armor was his ability to move quickly. 

“He wouldn’t have a cache here in Westland, he’s from the Midlands.” Alec explained as he moved forwarded to continue investigating the trail.

“On that subject,” Jace began, “care to tell us what the hell Maryse meant about you ‘always being a Lightwood’? I thought I was the adopted one.”

“Old lady Tessa said some stuff, I don’t know how much of it I believe, and Mom told me everything Tessa said was true but I don’t know if she evens knows what everything she said was.” Alec rambled. 

“That made half of a little bit of sense.” Jace answered.

“I don’t feel like explaining, honestly I’m not even sure how. I guess you guys should really ask Maryse herself, it’s her story, not mine.” 

“What about all that prophecy, seeker, save the world stuff?” Izzy leaned against a nearby tree, checking all her weapons were clear in their sheaths. 

“I mean I don’t see how anyone can cross the Boundary.” Alec replied.

“There is magic in the Midlands.” Izzy pointed out.

“Yeah I guess but I don’t think magic could do that.” Jace responded.

“You can’t exactly call yourself an expert on magic, either of you. We’ve never actually seen magic before, why would we have any idea how it works?” Izzy stated.

“I’m just saying Iz, that thing is pretty powerful. It’s literally a wall of death, how does a magic trick just get through it?” Jace argued.

As far as Alec could tell, his siblings were still arguing stupidly, but something else had grabbed his attention. He took a few steps closer to look at another footprint. 

“Stop talking.” Alec commanded.

“Jace, you’re being an idiot-”

“Stop talking.” Alec said again, much louder.

“Well someone’s not feeling too cheery on this fine, if not chilly, autumn night.” Jace shot back.

“I’m being serious” Alec insisted, “something’s wrong with these tracks.”

“Are you sure? The tracks may look weird because he was running.” Izzy suggested.

“You two may be Boundary wardens and know everything about weapons and how to use them but I’m a woodsguide. I know every tree in this forest like the back of my hand and the ground they grow in. We know that he picked up a horse half a mile back but he was walking it instead of riding it, there were horse tracks alongside his own. Fade’s tracks stop here.” Alec explained.

“So?” Jace asked, “He must have gotten tired and decided to ride for a while.”

“But he didn’t. The horse’s tracks would have changed when it picked up the extra weight. There also wouldn’t be any scuffing on the ground. Fade’s a trained soldier and a wizard, he can certainly mount a horse and ride it without any trouble. Yet the rocks by these horse tracks are kicked up so is all of the underbrush.” Alec elaborated.

“The horse must have been from Hartland or another nearby town, it wouldn’t have been trained like a military horse Fade would have been used to. Maybe he spooked it and had a hard time mounting?” Izzy questioned.

“But look at the spacing of the tracks. From this set of prints to the next, the horse covered at least two feet. A horse couldn’t cover this distance with weight, especially the weight of a fully armored soldier, even at a canter. This was a gallop. An unweighted gallop.” Alec continued, evidently frustrated with his siblings persistent doubt.

“So…. what are you saying?” Jace asked dumbfounded.

“He kicked the horse to run South so that way we’d think he kept going that way and he could change course without being followed.” 

“Which way did he go?” Jace asked impatiently.

“Well, there’s a pivot in the boot track right here...” Alec moved to the next marking, “We have to leave, right now.” Alec shot back up to his feet and turned to run back.

“Wait, what?” Izzy grabbed Alec’s arm before he could get too far away.

“Fade’s doubling back to Hartland. We need to get back to the house.” Alec broke free from Izzy’s grip.

“Max will be fine, he’s got Robert and Maryse.” Jace assured.

“Fade is a wizard with years of military training and half the weapons in the Midlands strapped to his back. Our parents are well past their prime, only have a few backups knives in the house, and are responsible for an unarmed, untrained nine year old. I want a little brother who is safe and alive when I get back home, so we are going home this very second.” Alec broke into an all out sprint, ignoring his siblings’ pleas behind him. 


	4. Naming

Alec kicked in his parents’ front door, bow at the ready. He swept the front room, beginning with the left side as he always did and making his way right. Looking down the shaft of his arrow, he eyes soon landed on his target.

Malcolm Fade stood in the Lightwood’s kitchen, with a dagger to Max’s throat, “Hello, seeker.” He growled.

“Let him go.” Alec commanded, keeping his bowstring tight against his cheek.

“That’s not how this works.” Fade sneered, “You’re going to tell me where the confessor is and when I go to find him, if you’ve told me the truth, I won’t kill your brother.”

Izzy and Jace burst through the door behind Alec, both out of breath with weapons drawn, “It’s three to one. Let Max go and we won’t hurt you, only arrest you.”

“It’s the speed of your arrow against my dagger, do you really think that you’re faster than me? Would you stake poor little Max’s life on it?” Fade leaned his weapon closer to Max’s neck, enough that the blade was pressing against his skin.

Alec thought for a moment. After he drew up a plan, he slowly lowered his bow, “I can’t tell you where Magnus is.”

“Well that’s not too fortunate for Max-” Fade brought the knife closer.

“Wait!” Alec interrupted. Fade looked back up at him, having drawn his dagger away from Max the slightest bit. “I can’t tell you where Magnus is because I don’t know where he is. The last I saw him was at my house when we fought you and your quad.”

“You’re lying. I watched the two of you leave on your horse.” Fade countered. He braced his weapon again.

“Yes, we did leave together. But after we got a mile or two away, Magnus insisted that he go on his own and I couldn’t follow him, for my safety. I let him take my horse and I came back here to my parents’ house. Then Izzy, Jace, and I went out to look for you because Magnus warned me that you could pose a threat to my family.” Alec lied partially. 

“Alright,” Fade smirked and sheathed his dagger, “I’ll take this runt to the Boundary with me, where Valentine Rahl has half an army of sorcerers on the other side breaking through it, and if you don’t bring the confessor to me before they open a hole in that wall, little Max Lightwood will come to D’hara with me where he can start his training as the newest recruit in the D’haran army. He’s a healthy young boy and based on you lot, he’s certainly got fighter’s blood in his veins. He might even make Dragon Core before he’s a man.”

“Please, just let my brother go. We’ll let you leave Westland, unharmed. All we want is for you give us Max back and stop hunting Magnus.” Alec pleaded.

“The confessors must perish if Lord Rahl is to bring peace to the three territories. Anyone who stands in his way will be stopped, by any means needed. If your little brother has to die so that that scum of this world confessor can be slain, then so be it.” Fade declared.

“You would kill children for this cause? On the word of a tyrant?” Alec asked.

“Would?” Fade laughed, “I led the slaughter at Brennidon.”

Alec raised his bow back up in fury, “Every baby boy was massacred! I was spared only because some wizard knew who to look for! Those were innocent children! Infants!”

“My only regret is that we didn’t also kill you, and that pesky wizard.” Fade responded.

“You’re a monster!” Izzy stepped in front of Alec with her ax in hand.

“Morality accomplishes nothing but bringing about your own demise.” Fade said with something near pity in his eyes, “Now, if you would excuse me, I really do need to be finding my comrades at the Boundary. My offer still stands, bring me the confessor or your brother will paint the Midlands and D’hara with rebel blood.” With that he brought his knife back up to Max’s throat and moved for the door.

All three Lightwoods turned to continue facing him, weapons remaining at the ready, “One move, and I kill him.” Fade kept the dagger on Max until they were out the door and on a horse.

Alec instantly ran back to the doorway, watching his brother being carried away from him, from his home, towards danger.

“What do we do now, Big Brother?” Izzy came behind Alec and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“This man, Valentine Rahl, he ordered Fade to hunt down Magnus, to come here to Westland. He’s the reason a killer has Max. Magnus and Tessa and Mom said that I’m supposed to kill him and liberate the Midlands and D’hara. We’re going to find Magnus and we’re going to go to the Boundary and get Max. And then I’m going to find Valentine and I’m going to kill him.” Alec declared.

“What about Mother and Father? Where did they go, they wouldn’t have left Max.” Izzy asked.

Suddenly, Jace called from the other room, “They’re in here!” Alec and Izzy ran to where Jace had found their parents.

“Fade must have knocked them out. They’re still breathing and there aren’t any serious injuries. They’ll have concussions at worst.” Jace explained.

“Let’s get them back to their bed so they can wake up in at least some comfort.” Alec proposed, “And then we can go find Magnus, if you guys are willing to help me.”

Izzy ran up to Alec and threw her arms around him, “You’re our brother, we would never leave you alone to fight this battle. And he’s got Max, neither of you are getting hurt on our watch.”

“We’re family, Alec. We wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Jace clapped him on the shoulder.

All three of them were nearly out the door before Izzy grabbed ahold of Alec’s arm, “Plus, I’m excited to meet this Magnus. You’ve been talking about him so much I feel like I know him.” 

  
  
  


Tessa, the single most powerful wizard of her generation, sat and watched as Magnus Bane, a member of the most powerful race of magical beings, mumbled incoherent ramblings and paced holes into her floor.

“Would you settle down? Your anxiety is creating a forcefield that’s going to repel the seeker if he tries to come back.” Tessa sighed.

“The fate of all living people rests in the hands of a man - if I can call him that, he’s still practically a boy -  who can’t even so much as wield a sword let alone use it to . defeat the greatest tyrant who has ever lived. And to top it off, he ran away when we told him the truth. He’s supposed to be the seeker of truth!” Magnus rambled.

“He was overwhelmed. He’ll come back after he gets past the shock.” Tessa assured. 

Immediately after the words passed her lips, Alec, Izzy, and Jace stumbled through the front door, “Magnus!” Alec exclaimed.

“Told you.” Tessa smirked, “Now I’m sure the next hour of life in my house will be dedicated to answering every question its possible to ask. So I’m going to go get that sword.” She stalked off into another room.

“Alec, what happened? Are you okay?” Magnus asked.

“I’m fine, but Tessa’s wrong. We need to leave, right now.” Alec answered.

“Why?”

“Malcolm Fade took Max, my little brother. They went to the Boundary. Fade said that unless I bring you to him, he’s going to take Max with him to D’hara and conscript him in the army.” Alec explained.

“So, you’re just going to do what he wants? Sacrifice me?” Magnus asked, bewildered. 

“No, Magnus” Alec reassured, “We came here to get your help, so we can kill Fade and save Max. And so I can help you kill Valentine.”

Magnus instantly ran up to Alec and embraced him, “Thank you, seeker!”

Alec hugged him back at first but pulled away after a few moments, “Before we can do that, we need to get to the Boundary.” Alec turned around to leave out the door, still holding onto to Magnus’ arm. 

“Slow down!” Tessa ordered. She emerged from the back room of her house, “No one is going anywhere without this.” She held up a steel scabbard, with little embellishment or decoration on it. A the top of the scabbard was the hilt of a sword. The hilt was knocked slightly upwards and had long, elegant lines swirling together carved into it. The handle was shaped for a single hand and bound in simple black leather.

“Stele.” Magnus looked at it in awe.

“Phff… confessors.” Tessa rolled her eyes, “The sword’s proper name, given to it by the wizard that created it, is the Sword of Truth.”

“Raziel did also create the confessors. And swore wizards into the defense of confessors.” Magnus countered.

“Ah yes, his greatest mistake.” Tessa sighed. Magnus glared at her. “Nevertheless” She continued, “the seeker needs to be named. Everyone, backyard by the big rock.” She motioned to the door.

“What’s naming?” Alec asked as he followed his siblings outside.

“Some silly wizard ritual. Unfortunately, they never give the sword to a seeker without performing it first.” Magnus explained. 

“How long is this going to take? Our brother was kidnapped and we need to go rescue him.” Jace grumbled.

“Just a few minutes.” Tessa said. Once everyone was outside, she ushered them to the spot she wanted. “Seeker, stand here. You can wear the scabbard, it’s yours now. Confessor, face him and hold the sword. Careful, it’s sharp.” She said pointedly to Magnus, “Siblings, sit on the rock and watch the amazing work of a wizard of the First Order.”

Tessa untied a small purse from her robe and poured a handful of sand from it into her palm. She began sprinkling it on the ground as she moved in a circle around Alec.

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood, though your road will be long and the outcome unknown, will you undertake this journey?”

“I will.”

“Will you leave behind your friends and all that you have known?”

“I will.”

“Though the forces of evil have sworn to bring about your death, still will you go on?”

“I will.”

Tessa, having completed the circle of sand, took the sword from Magnus’ hands and held it directly in front of her face, “Then will you accept the name of seeker?”

“I will.”

Tessa handed the word to Alec, “Then I, First Wizard Theresa Herondale-Carstairs Gray, so name you!” She snapped her fingers and threw down a spark that hit the sand on the ground. The sand caught fire and quickly illuminated the entire circle Tessa had laid out.

Alec, as if by instinct, thrust the sword into the air and lightning struck exactly in time to touch the tip. He lowered it to gaze at it, amazed by what had just happened. After a few moments, Alec slid the sword home into its scabbard.

“Let’s go.”


	5. Fighting

Weapons drawn, Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Jace burst from the forest into a clearing. Before them was the Boundary. And Fade.

“Let Max go!” Alec commanded.

“Hand me the confessor first.”

Alec raised his bow to eye level and drew back the string until his knuckles were firm into his cheek, “Not a chance.”

Before Fade could say anything, a sudden explosion hit the Boundary from the opposite side. It caused orange shockwaves to ripple across the surface. Luckily for everyone but Fade, the force sent Malcolm and Max flying forward and with the grip on him released, Max scrambled across the clearing to his siblings. Izzy instantly recoiled her whip and wrapped her brother up in her arms. 

“It’s over, Fade.” Alec declared after Izzy pulled Max to safety behind her, “Drop your weapons and turn yourself in. You’re outnumbered four to one and you lost your last piece of leverage.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing, boy.” Fade stated, “This man is dangerous. There are things about himself he hasn’t told you.”

“He’s a confessor and he’s the only one who’s a man, I know. He explained his power and what it does already.” Alec answered.

“I’m sure he neglected to mention what that book he’s carrying is, or where he got it. In fact that he stole it.” Fade smirked.

“You kidnapped my little brother and threatened to murder him, I don’t care about what you have to say.” Alec pulled his bowstring even tighter.

“Alec, shoot him right now.” Jace barked.

“What?” Izzy and Magnus both looked over to Jace.

“He’s stalling. Something’s moving behind the Boundary.” Jace explained.

“I see it too.” Izzy agreed after looking more closely. 

“That shouldn’t be possible.” Magnus commented, “The Boundary is an extension of the Underworld, it is death itself in our world. There is no way anyone should be able to see through the other side, you can’t look through death.”

“Something hit it just a minute ago. If that thing could have had enough force to knock over anyone standing near the Boundary, maybe it can blast through it. Maybe we can see through the Boundary because something on the other side is weakening it.” Alec thought out loud.

“Fade said there were sorcerers breaking it down earlier, at the house.” Izzy remembered. 

“Oh sorcerers aren’t the only thing waiting for me. You think a quad is difficult to outrun, fight off? Wait until you see a legion.” Fade laughed.

“Alec….” Jace drew his sword.

“I got this.” Alec took aim in only a moment and released his arrow. Unfortunately, Fade blocked the arrow with his knife. He seemed to summon some sort of force for an instant then thrust it at Alec. Suddenly, his bow was ripped from his hands and tossed across the clearing.

Alec went for the sword at his hip. When his hands gripped he leather, he felt a surge of power run through him, “Izzy, Jace, get Max home to Mother and Father. Magnus, you said your sister was with a healer near the Boundary, can she help us?”

“She’s a wizard. She could take out half that legion.” Magnus answered.

“Go, I’ll handle Fade.” 

Magnus nodded and sprinted into the woods.

“That was a mistake, boy.” Fade brought his own sword from its sheath.

Alec ignored him and charged. Their swords clashed only a second afterwards. The clearing was filled with the sound of steel against steel, and for minutes it continued to no avail, neither opponent could gain an advantage over the other. But soon, the Boundary was struck again and Alec and Fade were flung forward from the Boundary.

Alec was lucky enough to fall with his sword still in hand. He raced to his feet and moved to Fade as fast as possible. Before Fade could get up or pick up his weapon, Alec was upon him.

“The seeker wouldn’t kill an unarmed man.” Fade said assuredly.

“I can only imagine how many you’ll go on to kill if I let you live.” Alec held his sword directly above Fade’s heart, “This is for traumatizing my little brother.” He thrust the weapon down without another moment's hesitation. 

For a few minutes, Alec stared at the body at his feet.  _ I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed someone. I killed some _ -

A shockwave hit the air and tossed Alec across the clearing.

“Dammit.” Alec hissed. When he tried to stand up again, he fell back to ground. A long scrape from the sword had cut into his leg.

As he managed to get back to his feet, with more help from a nearby rock than he’d care to admit, Alec gaped at the Boundary.

The entire surface was still rippling with an orange tint. On the other side, Alec could perfectly make out the silhouettes of soldiers, dozens, and canons. Never in his life had he been able to spot so much as the edge of a landscape through it, now this impenetrable wall that could kill anyone who touched it looked like gossamer fabric. 

“Alexander!” Magnus burst out of the forest, behind him was a girl, slightly shorter than him, in blue. 

“Magnus! Thank the Creator you’re alright.” 

“Of course I’m alright. I’ve got the best healer in the Midlands and D’hara with me, I suppose Westland as well now.” Magnus smiled and gestured to the girl with him.

“I think that witch who helped us may have me beat in Westland.” She answered.

“Alec, meet my older sister, Catarina Loss.” Magnus was grinning even wider.

Catarina approached Alec to greet him but instead noticed his injury, “Magnus told me you hurt your shoulder earlier today. Does the seeker manage to hurt himself in every battle?”

“What?” Magnus rushed over.

“It’s fine. The Boundary got hit with another blast and the sword scraped up my leg when I fell.” Alec explained.

“It’s also nothing a wizard of the Second Order can’t patch up so stop worrying, Magnus.” Catarina sat down to better examine Alec’s leg.

“I wasn’t-”

“Little brother, I can hear your brain running a hundred leagues a second. Your seeker is going to be fine so long as you let me concentrate.” Catarina replied and set to work on Alec’s leg.

“Wait, if you two are siblings, why do you have different last names? And why isn’t Catarina a confessor as well, or are you a confessor and a wizard?” Alec asked.

“He certainly is a seeker of truth, asking all these questions.” Catarina commented.

“Ignore her. Wizards are control freaks about seekers.” Magnus went on to explain, “Catarina is my half sister. We have the same father but different mothers, her mother was a wizard and mine was a confessor. Because they both had such powerful magic, their children inherited their names.”

“Loss is one of the most revered names amongst wizards. It refers to the loss of fear our line gave to the injured because of our gift for healing. Only Gray bears more significance. Theresa Gray was actually the youngest to ever be appointed to the position of First Wizard.” Catarina elaborated.

“Get of your high horse, Sister. The Bane line of confessors is just as respected. We were a part of the confessors created by Merritt in the beginning. Tilly, the servant of Magda Searus, the first confessor, was chosen personally because Magda thought she was the bane of injustice.” Magnus prided.

“Wow. I’ll bet your mothers, being that powerful, did something awful to your father when they found out about each other.” Alec laughed.

Catarina and Magnus let their gazes fall to the ground.

“What?” Alec asked.

Magnus sighed, “It’s a little more complex than that. My mother confessed my father, in battle. He was a warlord who sought to conquer alongside Panis Rahl, Valentine’s father. He married Catarina’s mother in order to ally himself with powerful magic and to raise her children, equally powerful wizards, with his ideals so that they would help him when they came of age. But only a few months after Catarina was born, he encountered my mother in a fight outside Alicante. She confessed him to save herself and then took him as a mate to continue the confessor lineage.” 

“Why did she chose a married man?” Alec asked.

“Confessors don’t take good men as mates. She chose a man who was confessed honorably in battle. He had to be able bodied and strong in order to protect her children until they came of age. His life before confession was irrelevant.” Magnus answered.

Alec looked away, completely lost for words.

“Almost done with that cut, Cat?” Magnus asked in attempt to clear the air.

“I finished the cut in seconds, who do you think I am? I’ve been working on some old bone fractures. It is a marvel this man can ride a horse let alone walk the number of times he’s broken this leg.” Catarina smirked, “Did someone beat you as a child or were you just terrible?”

“Jace, Izzy, and I liked to wrestle and then we figured out that we could use sticks as swords and it was really all downhill from there. I think us hurting each other so much as kids is what inspired them to become Boundary Wardens.” Alec answered.

“Creator help their future children.” Catarina said.

Before anyone could reply, the Boundary was struck again. This time, smaller tears opened in the surface so that the other side was even more visible but without the green tint over it.

“Can anyone fit through that space?” Alec asked in worry, remembering that there was an entire legion dangerously close to knocking down the only barrier in between them. 

“Only a very skilled wizard could get through that without the Underworld taking them. And Valentine only has sorcerers in his command at the moment, skilled nonetheless, but nowhere close to a wizard’s magic.” Catarina explained. 

“What’s the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard?”

“You truly do have the attitude of a seeker, however that is something far too complex to explain at the moment.” Catarina answered, “What you do need to know is I could be overpowered if the sorcerers attack me. You and Magnus need to handle them while I take out the ungifted soldiers.”

“How am I supposed to fight a sorcerer? I don’t have any magic.” Alec responded.

“Stele can deflect magic. Not all magic but most offensive spells.” Catarina said.

“And” Magnus began, “I can confess one and order them to take out some of the others.”

“Are you sure you’ll be able to? You told me you already confessed someone today, is your power regenerated enough?” Catarina questioned.

“I may not be able to bounce back in minutes like the Penhallows, but a few hours is plenty of time.” Magnus replied.

“So how much longer until this thing is busted open?” Alec asked both in concern and the desire to switch the subject from something else he didn’t understand.

“The next hit will breach it enough that at least a few people can get through at a time. Our best plan of attack will be for you, seeker, to hold off the entrance. Only a few men can attack you at once and the foot soldiers will try to kill the seeker above all else. Anyone with magic will ignore you because of the sword and come for Magnus and I. 

“Magnus will confess one but he’ll be weak for a few moments after he does it so you’ll need to fall back to guard him while the sorcerer he confesses and I will light up the entrance with as much wizard’s fire as we can. We won’t be able to hold it forever so once Magnus is back in fighting condition you two will reapproach and hack at any living thing besides myself and Magnus’ sorcerer. 

“Magnus, you’re also in charge of taking out anyone who slips through. Put a knife in their back as fast as you can then keep working on the entryway.

“And above all else, we protect the Gray Book and the life of the seeker.” Catarina detailed.

“Gray Book?” Alec asked, this time needing an answer more than ever.

“Some wizards’ book. It holds the secrets of all power and it’s in a language only seekers can read. Catarina stole it back from Valentine after he stole it from the wizards’ keep in Alicante so that way Valentine couldn’t find a way to translate it and so you could use it in your quest to defeat him. Every quad that’s come after us has known about it and tried to take it so it’s safe to assume all of these soldiers will want it to.” Magnus answered.

“Where is it? Just so I know what to defend.”

“In my pack.” Magnus pointed to the bag hanging on his shoulders.

Alec drew his sword again, stood up, and braced himself against the rock. Both Catarina and Magnus planted their feet firm in wait for the next hit.

When it came, it blasted through the Boundary like a horse through parchment. Immediately after the energy from the hit dissipated, the three charged. Alec was at the new found openway in moments, swinging his sword at the attackers with a skill and precision he had no idea he had. 

He sliced at hacked and the crowd of invaders for what felt like hours before he heard Catarina call to him, “Fall Back!”

Alec parrayed one last attack, and sunk the sword into one last body before turning around and running to Magnus.

He saw Magnus gripping the throat of a man dressed in ornate brown robes. Just as he had done so earlier today, Magnus seemed to release some sort of tension and something struck the air, blowing down the blades of grass around him like wind. It was thunder without sound.

Magnus crumpled to the ground and the man immediately said, “Command me, confessor.”

“Kill your men.” Magnus croaked, “Follow the wizard’s orders as if she were me.”

The man, a sorcerer, sprinted to the Boundary and after hearing shoats from Catarina, began shooting fire from his hands just as she was.

Alec hesitated helping Magnus back to his feet when he saw the spectacle, totally enthralled. Soon, he averted his gaze back to his friend whom was still lying on the ground.

He offered him and hand and Magnus too it gladly. Once he was hoisted up, he wrapped one arm over Alec’s shoulder to steady himself.

“Are you alright?” Alec asked, not realizing how taxing it was for Magnus to use his magic.

“Yeah, it just feels like all of the energy in all of my bones was ripped out of me.” Magnus retorted, “I just need a few seconds.” So he stayed there, sagging against Alec and then suddenly he put all of his weight back on his own feet and stood as if it had never been any trouble at all. 

“I’m ready.” Magnus looked at Alec. They nodded to each other before charging back to the onslaught of soldiers. As soon as they came into her peripheral vision, Catarina dropped her fire to let them into the battle scene. 

They fought for as long as it took. Hacking, stabbing, slicing, and burning everything that came through the Boundary, until there was nothing left.


	6. Resistance

****

“Did we miss all the fun?” Jace ran into the clearing with weapons drawn and Izzy only a few paces behind him. Near the Boundary, there were bodies, dressed in the red and black D’haran uniform, left in various states of burns and cuts.

Alec, Magnus, and Catarina sat on the ground covered in blood spatter.

“ _ This _ ” Alec gestured to the carnage, “was not fun.”

“Fighting an army of enemies, what would be better?” Jace asked no one in particular.

“How about liberating the world from the rule of a ruthless tyrant?” Catarina proposed, “Now that your siblings know you’re safe, we really should get going.”

“It’s the middle of the night. Can we go back to my parents’ house and get some sleep before we go save the world?” Alec asked, still panting in exhaustion from the fight. 

“Valentine no doubt has figured out that the legion and Fade have failed to kill me, you, or get the Gray Book since no one has reported back to him that they’ve succeeded. He’ll send more men from outposts near the Boundary and they’ll raize all of Westland before first light, now with this giant doorway they can walk right through.” Magnus pointed to the hole in the Boundary. 

“If we have to go to the Midlands to go kill Valentine, how are we supposed to defend Westland from an army?” Alec asked.

“Boundary Wardens on this side can keep up the same strategy we did to contain and kill the legion.” Catarina explained, “Plus, he’s still alive.” She pointed to the sorcerer Magnus confessed.

“Yeah, I was going to ask who the hell he is.” Jace commented.

“Did you take a prisoner?” Izzy questioned.

“In a sense.” Magnus answered, “I used my magic on him in battle. It’s difficult to explain but basically he’ll do anything I tell him to with no hesitation. I can order him to listen to the Boundary Wardens as if they were me and to defend Westland from an invading D’haran armies.”

“What if the spell breaks?” Izzy asked.

“The spell can only be broken if I die. If you have someone always keeping an eye on him they can take him out before he can hurt anyone, should I be killed.” Magnus stated.

Catarina stood up and clapped her hands together, “Now that that’s settled, we need to get moving. I trust that the Lightwood siblings are more than capable of keeping Westland safe with the help of their new pet sorcerer, so there is no reason for us to stay here any longer.”

“We’re not staying here. We’re coming with you.” Izzy declared.

Catarina whipped around from the pack she had turned to pick up, “Absolutely not.”

“Why not? Five against the world is a lot better odds than three, and we could never leave our brother to go fight a battle like this without help.” Izzy elborated.

“Right, because a wizard of the Second Order and a confessor are completely useless.” Catarina spat sarcastically.

“I didn’t mean-” 

“This mission we are to undertake is one of secrecy. We must be able to move across territories with only those we intend to know of our location so that Valentine cannot simply send a battalion from the nearest encampment to kill the seeker and steal back the Gray Book. Keeping an extra two people who are not as well trained as we are to move quickly and quietly across the land will inevitably slow us down and could possibly get us killed. That means your brother will die and the people of the Midlands, my people, will remain in subjugation. Do you seriously consider you half baked whim to kill evil D’harans and safe the world more important than all of those lives?” Catarina retorted.

“What if they don’t have to tag along with us directly?” Alec asked.

Catarina mulled his words over for a few moments, “Explain.”

“I imagine there has to be dissent against Valentine in the Midlands, what with their establishment of justice, the confessors, being hunted. Izzy and Jace could come with us across to the Midlands and help escort us to the nearest base of resistance. If we can tell the people that they have a seeker fighting for them, it could boost their morale. And handing them two of the best fighters there are certainly would help as well.” Alec explained.

“You’re confident in your siblings’ ability to fight? They’ll be going against some of the most intensely trained soldiers to live.” Catarina asked.

“We’re not too shabby.” Jace answered for Alec.

“Alright, you can come with us and join the Resistance.” Catarina concluded.

Magnus finally stood up, “Now let’s get going before another legion finds us.”

“Do Mother and Father know that we’re all leaving?” Alec asked Izzy and Jace while Magnus and Catarina got their packs together.

“They tried to stop Jace and I from going with you but Mother seemed to understand that we couldn’t leave the world to suffer, not after what you said was happening in the Midlands.” Izzy answered.

“I still can’t believe we’re crossing the Boundary. The Midlands have always been so far away, so foreign. Now we’re just strolling into this place where they have magic and war, because I have to save it.” Alec thought out loud. 

“There’s a reason you’ve always spent all your time exploring the forest. You were made for adventure, and you have a big enough heart to save the world, Big Brother.” Izzy wrapped an arm across Alec’s shoulders, “Now, let’s go explore this great big world.”

The group of five walked through the passageway in the Boundary single file, with Magnus in the lead. On the other side, it was still pitch black darkness. They stood in a wide grass field, not dissimilar to the clearing on the Westland side. Nothing looked at all different from Westland. Before them was a slope that lead up to a forested hill, the trees looked exactly as they would on the other side of the Boundary as did the grass and the hill. Still Alec felt that something had changed.

  
  
  


“You two need to stop for a breather down there?” Jace yelled gleefully from a top a hill summit.

After half a day of travelling, the merry band of five had covered enormous distance and, according to Magnus, was close to a Resistance encampment.  

“I belong to one of the most revered group of magical beings in existence. My people hold power greater than the richest kings. I have spent my life studying in order to become the most knowledge equipped justice bringer it is possible to be. Forgive me for not being able to sprint up a hill in 20 seconds because I haven’t spent my youth tramping around forests with an entirely unnecessary number of weapons.” Magnus grumbled. 

“So what you’re saying” Jace called down, “is that the three of us outran you because you’re a nerd?” 

“I have brought monarchs to their knees with one touch. One touch!” Magnus muttered and took longer strides up the hill. 

“He’s not kidding, you know.” Alec said to Jace as they waited for the others to meet them.

“This magic stuff, I’m going to need some time to get used to it.” Jace shook his head, “Do you think everyone on this side of the Boundary has magic?”

“It didn’t seem like from the way Catarina described the legion that we fought. She said Valentine has sorcerers at his command but she didn’t say anything about the other soldiers having any magic.” Alec explained.

“Those people” Jace pointed at a village in a valley on the other side of the summit, “Any one of them could have so much power, stuff that we can’t even understand.”

“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t?” Alec said as he gazed over the hill.

“It’s pretty scary. I mean, Catarina or Magnus could just kill us, anytime, anywhere.” Jace commented.

“So could you, or me or Izzy. We all have weapons, theirs’ just aren’t made of steel.” Alec pointed out.

“But magic - I mean we’ve trained since we were kids to be able to use our weapons effectively, and people here are just born with all that power. It almost seems… unfair.” Jace thought out loud.

“You should know” Magnus appeared behind Jace, frightening him slightly, “Cat and I had to train for years to use our magic, just like you did.”

“First of all, you shouldn’t scare the guy holding a sword like that.” Jace began, “Second of all, it’s still different, you were born with magic. I wasn’t born with a knife in my hand.”

“You were born to people who had those weapons and were willing to teach you how to use them.” Magnus explained, “It’s less different than you think.”

“Well I still can’t bend people to my will with my sword.” Jace commented, “How should I know that anyone in the Midlands can’t just posses me and make me do whatever they want?”

“Fear for one’s life is more powerful than you realize. And, magic is an incredibly rare gift, it’s even becoming less and less common as the generations pass.” Magnus answered.

“Why?” Alec asked.

“No one knows. Plenty of wizards have their theories but confessors tend to stay out of it. We know that our magic is safe so long as we keep having children.” Magnus answered.

“So could someone from that village down there have magic, like Catarina or Tessa?” Izzy pointed to the hamlet down the hill.

“That place more likely than most!” Magnus grinned, “That’s the Resistance outpost. We’re among friends.”

“That definitely does not look like a military outpost.” Jace said.

“The Resistance is less like a military, more like a community. A host of people live there in order to seek shelter from the D’harans and help the cause in anyway they can. Yes of course soldiers live there, but after their patrols and skirmishes they come back to read stories to children. And those children help till the farms and run errands for blacksmiths and carpenters.” Magnus explained, grinning, “Cat! Hurry up, we’re here!”

Magnus broke into a sprint down the hill. Moments later, Catarina overcame the summit and ran to catch up to her brother. Alec shrugged at Izzy and Jace then followed the other two down, though not quite as fast.

At the bottom of the hill, Magnus and Catarina were already greeting heavily armed men at a wooden gate, presumably the entrance to the outpost. They clasped forearms and met in one handed embraces.

“The Midlands is a better place now that a confessor and a wizard have returned.” One man said with a wide smile.

“Not only us, Raphael. The seeker has come to free us from Valentine’s hold.” Magnus moved aside to show Alec.

“The seeker of truth himself, there is no greater honor than to meet you.” Raphael grabbed Alec’s arm above his wrist firmly.

“The honor is all mine.” Alec replied, “Magnus tells me that you’ve been helping free people rebel against this tyrant, I can’t think of anything more noble.”

“To meet the seeker and to receive his praise, I don’t think my children will ever stop hearing about this day.” Raphael moved towards the gate of the structure, gesturing for everyone to follow him, “Now tell me seeker, what is your name? The prophecy seemed to have said everything about you but that.”

“Alec Lightwood. These are my siblings, Jace and Isabelle.” Alec answered.

“An equal honor to meet you as well.” Raphael shook their hands, “How can we help you in your quest?”

“A hot meal, a warm bed, and some food for the road will be more than enough.” Catarina answered, “However these two Lightwoods will be helping you.”

“We can’t go with Alec and Magnus and Catarina, but we have to help fight Valentine.” Jace said.

“Back in Westland, we were Boundary Wardens. We’re the two best fighters in our home, and we should hope that we’re not too bad by the Midlands’ standards. Anything we can do to help the Resistance, you only need to say the word.” Izzy elaborated. 

“There’s more than enough to do. My men will bring you up to speed and take you out on missions as soon as you’re ready to.” Raphael kept walking them until they reached the obvious encampment of soldiers, “Men, say hello to the seeker.”

The men all placed their weapons down and immediately stood up. Alec heard a chorus of “an honor” and “what a privilege” before Raphael calmed down his men.

“We all have work to do on this day, the seeker, confessor, and wizard most of all. But before we leave them to what they need to do, I will allow you and myself the honor to swear our allegiance, before the very man who will save us.” Raphael dropped to one knee before Alec, his men following. 

“No, please this isn’t necess-” Alec was cut off.

“Everyone has been waiting years for their savior to come, let them have this.” Magnus said gently to Alec before also taking a knee. Catarina did so as well. After they knelt, Izzy and Jace followed suit.

Before Alec could even process what was happening, Raphael had begun, “We swear our lives to the cause and the defense of the seeker of truth. We live to fight for our freedom and if we should die, we die with the honor that we helped carry the mantle of seeker.” The men, Magnus, and Catarina repeated after him, Izzy and Jace both tried but stumbled over the words. 

Raphael stood up and once again clasped Alec’s forearm, “We will die for you if need be, but please promise me you will fight to prevent any other innocent from losing their life in this bitter war for nothing.”

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if there's any errors, thanks for reading!


	7. Bounty

“Is food free in the Midlands or something?” Alec asked after a steaming hot bowl of stew was placed in front of him. Alec, Magnus, and Catarina were sitting in a tavern where they had planned on paying for a hot meal and a place to sleep, yet the moment the owner had seen the hilt of Alec’s sword, he insisted that they eat, drink, and sleep free of charge. “Anything for the seeker” he had said.

“If you’d believe it, food is actually scarce here. The D’harans over hunt to feed the army. Good meat can hardly be found so everyone seems to have turned to farming to eat.” Magnus explained.

“Farming can't be so bad. Sure, nothing beats a smoked chicken, but vegetables never hurt anyone.” Alec said in confusion.

“The issue’s bigger than people's palets being restricted. With every able bodied worker tilling the farm most of the day, there's no one left to work in town. Carpenters, blacksmiths, stone carvers - they're all at home instead. With no one to work, towns suffer the most. No one has the money to pay taxes so roads can't be fixed, school teachers can't be paid. It's a vicious cycle of poverty.” Magnus elaborated.

“And all because all the chickens are being killed.” Alec thought out loud, “It seems unfair for me to eat for free everywhere I go when everyone else is suffering. This is the third tavern to feed us. I just don't understand why I'm so important.”

“The work you do, we do, it doesn't pay us anything. But it does give every person in the Midlands something - hope, freedom. The people have dreamed of the day the seeker would return to liberate them from Valentine, and now that you're here, they’ll show you their gratitude anyway they can.” Catarina smiled, “And if that means spiced lamb soup for me, all the better.”

“Wizards” Magnus shook his head, “can conjure food from tree bark but always seemed to be motivated by someone else's cooking.”

“I can create something sustainable from tree bark but bland, tasteless edible energy could never hold a candle to finest crafted dishes.” Catarina stated, “Oh, if we ever pass through Alicante we must eat at Ambrosio’s! They roast duck on potatoes and carrots, with a caramel glaze, in a way that could compel a person to do their bidding better than a confessor ever could.” 

“That is not true.” Magnus said to Alec.

Before Alec could even so much as laugh, someone came behind him and snatched a hold on his shoulders, “You know anything about confessors?”

Alec snapped around in surprise to see a burly man with a long beard and dark ink tattoos across his neck and face.

“What's it to you?” Catarina asked cautiously, drawing attention away from Magnus as he pulled his hood up to cover his face.

“Have you heard about the bounty?” The man asked, grinning wickedly.

“Bounty?” Alec asked.

“Very official looking D’haran came by a few minutes ago, had a sign saying Rahl will give fifty thousand gold pieces to who ever brings him the seeker. He said there's also ten thousand on the table for any confessor and an extra twenty thousand if that confessor tells anything about where the seeker is.” The man explained gleefully.

“Well we don't know anything about confessors, or the seeker. Cat just really loves roast duck, so much that confessors were the most appropriate euphemism.” Alec answered calmly. 

“Shame. A confessor could have made me rich, not to mention taking one of them out of this world.” The man said.

“You know confessors do a lot for the Midlands.” Alec suggested.

“Alexander, don't.” Magnus warned.

“Women shouldn't be able to do what they do. Taking power from rightful kings, they have no place. The Midlands are better off without them.” The man spat.

“Keep talking. Don't think I won't run you-” Alec shot to his feet.

“Alec! Stop, it's not worth it.” Magnus tried to coax him back into his seat.

“That's a pretty sword you've got there.” The man pointed to Stele at Alec’s hip.

“Can't you go bother other self minding patrons of this tavern?” Catarina asked exasperatedly. 

“No. I actually think that I’ll take that sword off your hands for you.” The man snatched an arrow from the quiver Alec had slung over the back of his chair, “I don't enjoy hearing ‘no’.” He held the arrow to Alec’s throat. 

“Kill me here. I’m sure the constable would love to go a few rounds against a murderer chained up in the jail. Or the barkeep here could pummel you for causing a ruckus in his establishment.” Alec threatened. He pushed the arrow away from himself with his finger, “We’ll be leaving now.” 

As the three all moved to exit the tavern, the man made another move for Alec’s shoulder, “I know that sword. It's the sword of truth. It's the seeker!”

Alec spun around to confront the man, but the entire tavern was already on its feet with weapons drawn. 

“That reward is mine!” The man lunged for Alec again. Yet Alec didn't even need to draw his sword. The man was stopped dead in his tracks as a bar stool exploded across his head. The person who threw the chair, a young woman, caught Alec’s eyes, “Run!”

No one needed to be told twice. Catarina blasted the door open with magic and the group sprinted until they couldn't anymore. They ended up in a thin forest away from the tavern.

“Thank you.” Alec said to the woman, still catching his breath, “I think you just saved our lives in there.”

“Are you really the seeker?” She asked.

Alec gulped, “Yes.”

“I need your help. My little brother, Jules, and I were attacked by a shadran, it took him.” She said.

“What's a shadran?”

“An incredibly fearsome creature, maybe the most feared in the whole Midlands. No one knows anything about it because so few have ever lived to describe it.” Catarina answered.

“I didn't get a good look at it, everything moved so fast.” The woman added.

“But… shadran are a myth.” Magnus said, puzzled.

“Yeah because a myth did this to me.” The woman lifted the hem of her dress to show deep scratches across her leg, “I tried to fight it off, but I wasn't strong enough. And none of the scum I the tavern would help me.”

“Shadran hunt during the day, they keep their prey alive until nightfall. So-” Catarina began.

“So Jules could still be alive!” Alec interrupted, “Where did this… shadran attack you?”

“It's not far, I can take you there. I’m Emma, by the way.” Emma answered. Alec nodded and she began walking, Catarina and Alec right behind here.

Magnus grabbed Alec’s arm and pulled him out of earshot, “You have a bounty on your head, so do I. Sticking around this town isn't a good idea.”

“I have a sword and a bow and you and Cat both have your magic. We are more than capable of taking care of ourselves, a boy isn't.” Alec explained, “I’m supposed to be a savior for the people, that also means people who aren't being hurt by Valentine.” 

Magnus sighed and followed after Alec. 

  
  
  


The group walked for about two hours before they stumbled upon a clearing. Alec immediately noticed a cloaked man, struggling to hitch a wheel back onto his cart, but kept walking.

“Could you stop to help me? One extra pair of arms is all I need to repair this.” The man asked.

“We can’t stop now, I’m sorry. A boy’s life is in danger. Once we know he’s safe, we can come back to help you.” Alec explained, not stopping.

The moment Alec turned back to follow the group, he heard a crossbow bolt rush past his ear. He spun back around as he drew his sword and saw that this stranger clearly had not needed any help.

He bore tattoos across his body, like bounty hunter in the tavern, and held a small crossbow in each hand. He lowered the one he had already fired and aimed his next shot at Alec. The seeker blocked the bolt with his sword, not even knowing where he learned how to do that, and made to pin the man.

“Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?” He demanded.

“Didn’t you hear about the bounty?” The bounty hunter replied.

“How did you know that I’m the seeker, or that I’d be passing through here?” Alec asked again, this time bringing his sword closer to the man’s neck.

The man unintentionally glanced at a bag strung over his shoulder with a look of panic. Alec wasted no time and snatched the bag. He opened it to find a few coin purses, a water skin, and a rolled map. He unfurled it to see that it showed only the area around the town, in fine detail. There was also a glowing golden dot shown in the forest.

“Cat, Magnus, take a look at this.” He called over to the rest of the group. The others came to where he was and Catarina took the map out of his hands.

“Well this is completely useless. Why would anyone waste money on this?” She commented.

“What’s that glowing thing?” Magnus took the map out of Catarina’s hands. He began to walk a small circle as he thought about his own question. Alec moved to look over his shoulder, “Why doesn’t the dot move?” He asked.

“It just did.” Magnus answered. He took a few steps forward again, Alec immediately moving after him. “It just moved again.”

“Why?” Alec asked.

“I think its you.” Magnus answered.

“How is that even possible?” Alec asked in total confusion.

“It's a very rare practice of magic, topomancy.” Catarina answered, “I can learn more about this particular map, but we’ll need to do it on the move. It’s getting close to nightfall.”

Alec quickly knocked out the bounty hunter with the pommel of Stele, making a note to himself to come back later and hand him over to the local constable. The group moved on, Emma still taking the lead.

“You know, a map like that could be useful.” Alec said to Magnus as they walked, “If we got split up, you’d know where to find me.”

“Just like that highwayman out for gold did.” Magnus replied, “Or better yet, Valentine. He clearly wants you dead if he’s willing to pay that much for it. If he got his hands on one of these, the entire D’haran army would be on us the next day.”

“Do you think he actually believes in the prophecy? He has so many resources, so much power, but he’d pay so much for me to die.” Alec pondered.

“Valentine sent men to slaughter every single firstborn son of an entire village in order to avert the prophecy when you were a baby, I definitely think he believes in it just like everyone else. Not to mention, you’re a beacon of hope for the Midlands. The Resistance is going to grow larger and fight even harder all in your name. If you die, what do they have left to fight for?” Magnus said.

“We’re here.” Emma called from the front. She had stopped them on the edge of the forest, in a clear space filled with small boulders, “Jules skinned his knee when we were walking. He started crying… then the shadran came.”

“Shadran are almost totally blind, they hunt by sound and by smell. Your brother’s cries and his blood must have brought it here.” Catarina added.

“Let’s find a trail, we can follow it back to the nest.” Alec suggested.

“According to stories I’ve heard, shadran make their nests in caves.” Catarina said. 

“There are some caves up ahead.” Emma said, “We’re running out of time before sundown.”

“I trust that you two” Catarina looked at Alec and Magnus, “can handle rescuing the boy. I just had an idea of who made this map and I’d like to stop him from making more.” 

“We’ll be fine.” Alec said, “Go.”

The group moved, this time without Catarina, until they came upon the mouth a cave.

“Remember, it hunts by sound.” Alec whispered. “Follow my lead and roll you feet from heel to toe when you step. We can in and out with Jules without this thing ever hearing us.”

Just as Alec began to slowly walk into the cave, a loud crash of a rockfall sounded from inside.

“Jules!” Emma screamed and sprinted past Alec, “Jules! Jules!” She continued to cry from inside the cave.

“Emma!” Alec ran in behind her with Magnus at his heels.

Once they both entered the cave, they realized it was too dark to see. Magnus dropped his pack and shuffled around inside of it until he found a torch. Alec pulled some flint and steel out of his pack and lit it. 

Magnus took the torch in one hand and with the other grabbed a dagger out of his boot. Alec held Stele in front of him while the two tiptoed quietly through the cave, side-by-side. Alec kept a look over his shoulder incase anything, namely the shadran, tried to attack from behind while Magnus held the torch out in front to search for Emma.

As the light shown on the cave walls alec spotted a painting, either in deep red ink or blood, of a horned beast attacking humans. He did his best to swallow down his fear and turned his eyes back to the path behind him. 

The two soon approached a narrowing in the cave. Alec remained where he was and allowed Magnus to take the lead a few steps forward. Next, they both heard a scream and before Alec could even process what was happening, the torch light Magnus was holding had suddenly disappeared and something was striking Alec across the head.

  
  
  


Alec came to, laying face up on something padded but very uncomfortable against his back. He heard the jinggling of shackles and craned his head to see Emma snap his wrist into chains. He struggled, only to discover his other hand was also trapped, then realized he was strapped down to the back of a carriage.

“Magnus!” He screamed.

“I left him in the cave, he’ll wake up soon enough and come looking for you I’m sure.” Emma answered nonchalantly. 

“You trapped him with that beast?” Alec cried. 

“Pfhh, everyone knows that shadran are a myth.” Emma closed the back gate of the carriage. She climbed onto the front seat and snapped the reins. Two horses took off into a canter.  _ Please Magnus, stay alive. _ Alec thought to himself.  _ I’ll come back for you _ . 

  
  


Magnus came to with his face pressed into old dirt. He snapped up onto the backs of his heels and grabbed the torch that was still lit near him. Staying low to the ground, to minimize noise, he used the light of the torch to examine the space around him. He was a the bottom of a pit, still in the cave, surrounded by bones.  _ That’s never a good sign _ . 

He stood up and looked more closely for a way out of the pit. The walls were too high for him to jump and there weren’t any divots in them that would offer enough purchase to scale. He did find a passageway leading out of the pit. Magnus followed it but first grabbed a pile of noticeable stones he could use to mark his path.  _ I guess those woods guide lessons Alec’s been giving can actually pay off. _

Since they had left Isabelle and Jace and the Resistance camp near the Boundary, Alec had insisted on teaching Magnus and Catarina how to track and find their way in nature. Cat was able to get out of it by saying that she could do all of that with her magic. Magnus wasn’t sure how much of that was true but he did find himself enjoying hearing Alec explain print patterns and directional aides after a day or two.

Now he realized, if he never got out of this cave, he might never hear it again.

Magnus kept walking, dropping the stones as he went, until he found a still intact corpse. It was so decomposed that it smelt horribly, but moths had yet to attack the bag that lay next to it. Magnus opened up the bag and found a grappling hook attached to a lengthy rope.  _ Thank the spirits. _

He went back the way he came to the pit, following the stone path he had laid for himself. As he began walking, he heard animalistic growls growing closer and closer. He turned around to see a shadran closing in on him. It was twice his height with arms that reached past its knees and swirling horns coming from the top of its head.

Magnus broke into a sprint. The second he was back in the pit, he unwound the rope and tossed the grappling hook over the wall. It found purchase at the top and Magnus began climbing as fast as possible. He could hear the shadran getting closer. 

He felt breath on the backs of his heels as he pulled himself over the wall in time. He tossed the torch back into the pit without looking, hoping the creature feared fire, before running at breakneck speed to the mouth of the cave. He emerged into waning daylight hoping to find anyone of his travelling companions.

Seeing no one, Magnus panicked, “Alec!” He grabbed the map they had taken from the last bounty hunter and spotted the moving dot that represented the seeker. He ran to catch up to it.

  
  
  


Alec continued to struggle against his bonds as the cart he was in kept moving, “Why are you doing this? I was trying to help you.” He looked up at the driver as best he could but all he could see was the back of Emma’s hair bobbing.

“Oh yeah, because you’re the seeker. I don’t believe in that fairytale prophecy.” She retorted, “But the D’harans do, which is all the better for. I don’t even know what they’re so afraid of, it was easy enough to grab you.”

“They’re afraid of the prophecy.” Alec answered.

“Right, I forgot. Some old wizard, or something, said that you’re going to kill Valentine Rahl and free everyone in the Midlands.” Emma audibly rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, and at the moment, you’re the only thing that’s stopping me.” Alec shot back.

“Again, how easy was that? Really, the D’harans shouldn’t waste time sending armies. All it takes is a sad story and an ample bosom.”

_ I didn’t even notice her bosom _ . Alec immediately thought.  _ I guess her dress is a bit revealing but I wasn’t even looking there _ . He thought better on saying any of that out loud, seeing as that was the least of his problems.

Before he could internally debate the issue more, the cart began to slow as it approached a small outpost. Someone inside noticed the wagon coming closer and stepped out. It was a D’haran soldier, clad head to toe in decorated armor.

Emma stepped off the front seat of the wagon and wordlessly guided the man to the back, where Alec lay, “See him.” She said with a knife pointed near the soldier’s throat, “He’s the seeker. And you’re the lucky one who gets to tell you captain that I have him. He can meet me at Demon’s Rock. But tell him I don’t want the bounty, I want something else.”

She shoved him away and climbed back into her seat without another word then started off again.

Once they were a good distance away from the outpost, Alec sat up as best he could, “So, what’s worth more to you than fifty thousand pieces of gold.”

“My brother.” Emma said.

“So he wasn’t taken by the shadran?”

“No, much worse. He was arrested by the D’harans. They’re going to execute him tomorrow. The constable would have just kept him in the jails for a few weeks, make him pay a fine, but the D’harans don’t have any sense of fairness.”

“What did he do?”

“He did nothing. I stole food for us and he took the blame.”

“So you’re a thief.”

“I didn’t have a choice. The only food is what the D’harans took from the people in the first place. It’s steal or starve and I am not going to starve.” 

“You know, you could have told me the truth. I would have helped you free your brother.”

“Really? With that bounty on your head you would have rode into a D’haran garrison to rescue a thief?”

Alec didn’t answer. He laid back against the floor of the wagon for a while debating his options, “Look, if you unshackle me we can go back for Magnus and we can all free your brother.”

“What guarantee do I have that you won’t run off the moment I unshackle you?” Emma asked.

“You have my word, as the seeker.” Alec said.

“That’s actually mean something if I believed in the seeker.” Emma flicked the reins and the horses picked up speed.

Alec resigned himself to lay back down.  _ Cat will find the map maker soon and stop them. Then she’ll find me. Or she’ll find Magnus first. That’s if Magnus is even alive. Emma said it's a myth, but what if that shadran is real and it killed Mag- _

Suddenly, something fell from the air into the back of the wagon. Alec craned his neck up to see Magnus, a knife in each hand, tackling Emma out of the front seat of the wagon. 

Soon enough, Magnus had pushed Emma out of the cart entirely and was pulling back on the reins to stop the horses. Once the wagon came to a halt, Magnus jumped out and ran for Emma, who had ended up a few meters back on the road.

Alec waited for only a minute before Magnus had climbed back into the wagon and was taking the butt of his dagger to the shackles holding him down, “Next time I tell you we can’t help someone, trust me.” 

“In my defense, she was very convincing.” Alec answered, “I’m sorry for getting you into this.”

“Apology accepted.” Magnus smiled and raised his arm to strike the shackles again.

However, a rope grabbed it before he could bring it back down. Next to the cart, on horseback, was the bounty hunter from the tavern, and standing on the driver’s seat was another highwayman with an arrow pointed at Magnus. He gestured with the bow for Magnus to get out of the wagon. 

Magnus climbed out as best he could with his wrist being held by the rope. 

“On your knees.” The man with the bow demanded. 

“And you, seeker” The other man turned to Alec, “you’ll be making us rich in just a matter of hours.”

“Twenty-five thousand gold pieces each.” The other man smirked.

Emma stood up from where Magnus had left her on the ground with her hands bound, “He’s lying to you.” She pointed to the bounty hunter holding the rope.

“What’s she talking about?” He asked immediately.

“How we’ve been colluding behind your back to use you to kidnap the seeker and then we’ll split the bounty - after we kill you.” Emma explained. 

“What!” The man turned his arrow away from Magnus to point it at the other bounty hunter.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about. I’ve never seen this woman in my life.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

“How do I know  _ you’re _ not working with her?”

Magnus, realizing that both highwaymen were too preoccupied with each other, made a move towards Alec. As quietly as possible, he searched the shackles holding Alec down for a way to free his hands without smashing them with his dagger.

“Any luck?” Alec whispered.

“That depends, how much do you actually value your hands?” Magnus smiled.

“Well, if the prophecy really is true I guess I’ll just be destined to kill Valentine with Stele in my elbows.” Alec answered. 

“For the sake of the Midlands, let’s wait for Cat to get you out of these.” Magnus ducked behind the wagon to watch the bounty hunters argue. He caught Emma’s attention and hailed her over. 

Emma made her way past the arguing men as quietly and unnoticeably as possible, “What are you doing?” She huffed.

“Can you unlock the chains?” Magnus asked.

“Not in these.” She lifted her hands up to point out the rope that was holding them.

Magnus glared at her but did take out his dagger and sliced through the rope. Emma smirked at him and pulled a pin out of her hair. She worked it into the lock that held the shackles closed on Alec’s wrist. In less than a full minute, the clamps sprang apart.

Alec instinctively moved his wrist and arm around to regain feeling while Emma started on the other chain. It soon also opened and Alec began rubbing his wrists as Emma climbed over him to unlock his legs. 

As soon as he was completely free, Alec took Stele from the front of the cart and slid it out of its sheath as quietly as possible. He gently started to move into the front seat of the cart and step off, until he spotted a horse galloping towards them in the distance. 

The two arguing bounty hunters also noticed the horse and drew their weapons. As it got closer, Alec, Magnus, and Emma were able to recognize its rider. Within moments, the highwaymen were flung backwards by a powerful blast of magic. 

“Now what kind of trouble did you three manage to get yourselves into?” Catarina smiled from atop the horse. 

“Far too much.” Magnus answered, “How did you find us?”

“I knew who was making the maps, the cartographer and minimally powerful magician Lorenzo Rey. He’s always wanted to be a wizard and his dabbling in magic has always landed him in unpleasant situations, this time it was answering to me. I made him tell me who he sold the maps to and then he made me one to find one of these scoundrels.” Catarina explained and dismounted her horse, “Now does anyone want to tell me why our seeker has those nasty welts on his wrists?”

“Someone” Magnus glared pointedly towards Emma, “chained him down after knocking us both out in the cave in order to sell him to the D’harans. She also left me in the cave to be killed by the shadran.”

“Shadran aren’t real.” Emma nearly snarled.

“Well something about eight feet tall with horns almost killed me.” Magnus spat.

“What do we do with her?” Catarina intervened before more yelling broke out.

“You may as well kill me.” Emma said with her head hung, “The D’harans will anyway when I don’t deliver the seeker.”

“Actually” Alec began, “I think there’s a way we all get to keep our lives, including Emma’s brother.”

“What are you talking about?” Emma asked.

“Her brother isn’t real.” Magnus responded.

“He is he just wasn’t captured by a shadran. He was arrested by the D’harans for stealing.” Alec explained.

“Seeker, I usually trust your judgement but you seriously want us to spare an attempted murderer and break a thief out of prison?” Catarina asked.

“Jules did steal in the first place, it was Emma. And it was food. You yourselves said food is nearly impossible to come by in the Midlands, it’s hard to consider stealing from an invading army who stole the food in the first place much of a crime.” Alec defended his point.

“If you frame it that way” Magnus sighed, “I guess it is the right thing to do.”

“How do you recommend we go about this prison break?” Catarina asked, intrigued.

“The D’harans want the seeker, and we’ve got the next best thing. We’ll give them a map.”

  
  
  


Emma moved lethargically up a hill, the horses dragging her cart exhausted from the hard rides of the day. Waiting for her at Demon’s Rock was a quadrant of soldiers, one wearing an ornate helmet and a breastplate. He was the captain.

“You said you captured the seeker.” The captain said as soon as Emma dismounted. 

“I have a map that will take you to him. I’ll give it to you if you release a certain prisoner.” Emma declared.

“You have a deal.” The captain made to grab the map in Emma’s hand. She immediately withdrew. “I need to verify that this map can do what you say it does. You have my word that your prisoner will be released.”

Emma handed it to him reluctantly. He opened it and saw the glowing dot near the caves, unmoving. He rolled it up and stuffed in into his belt. He made a gesture towards his men and two grabbed Emma by the arms, “We had an agreement!” She screamed as she struggled.

The four soldiers began marching back in the direction of their garrison. Nearby, Alec and Magnus peeked over the rock they were hiding behind to see. As the D’harans got farther away, the two followed them quietly. 

Once the garrison was in sight, Alec and Magnus broke off to hide along the side of the fortress while Emma was dragged inside. From the outside they could hear yelling; Emma screaming in anger and the captain rallying his men to hun the seeker. In only a few minutes about two dozen fully armoured soldiers were marching behind their captain as he studied the map in his hands. 

As the D’harans disappeared behind the slope of a hill, Alec and Magnus walked through the front door of the garrison unhindered. They crept from room to room, weapons at the ready, until they found Emma. 

When they did find her, they saw her knock a guard out cold with a cell door. She looked up and smiled at the two. Behind her, a teenage boy with dark hair and blue eyes looked up the seeker and confessor with delight as well.  

Alec sheathed his sword and made his way to the boy with his hand outstretched, “Jules, I assume.”

“That’s what Emma calls me, but most everyone else says Julian.” He answered, shaking Alec’s hand.

“Good to meet you, Julian.” 

“Now that we’ve finished our prison break, we really should go meet up with Catarina. At least if we want to see the fun part of this plan.” Magnus suggested.

Alec grinned and the four made a break for the door. They raided the stable at the garrison and each took their own horse onto the road. The ride was only a quarter of an hour to get to the caves Alec, Magnus, and Emma had first explored earlier that day.

Waiting for them at the caves was Catarina hiding behind a rock to stay out of sight of the squadron following their captain into a cave. Magnus made eye contact with Catarina and smiled at her, as they both knew what was coming.

The group heard a yell from inside the cave. It was the captain saying “something something something seeker!”. Catarina took that as her cue, stood up, and cast a spell at the front of the cave. Instantly, rocks began collapsing over the entrance, completely sealing it.

“Now that’s what I call three birds with a few falling stones.” Catarina turned back around to face the group.

“What?” Julian asked in total confusion.

“This town’s D’haran issue is taken care of, at least for a while, the shadran will never prey on anyone again, and those pesky bounty hunters will have a hard time collecting the bounty when they’ve become shadran food.” Catarina explained.

“How did you get them all to go into the cave?” Julian asked.

“We knew the D’harans wouldn’t just give your sister the bounty, they’d throw her in prison. So she gave them a map to the bounty hunters, but she told them it would lead to me.” Alec said, “Cat tied them up and stuck them in the cave then waited out here to trap them in. And while the D’harans were busy hiking out to this cave, Magnus and I came to break you two out of prison, although it looked like you really didn’t need our help. Not with your sister knowing her way around a lock.” 

“That talent’s gotten us into a lot of trouble.” Julian smiled at Emma. 

“With the D’harans gone, at least for a while, the trouble can end.” Magnus said to Emma.

“Trust me, no new soldiers will be coming to take their place. This town will burn that garrison and fight to death to keep them out. We’ve seen the havoc Rhal’s rule has brought, we won’t ever let those vultures back.” Emma declared.

“We’ll tell everyone what you did to help us, seeker. This place will fight on the side of the Midlands from now on.” Julian said.

“Do you believe in the legend of the seeker now?” Alec asked Emma.

“I believe in it more than anything, and I’ll make sure anyone I meet does as well. You will always have allies here.” Emma said, “Maybe if you come these parts again, we’ll run into each other.”

“For your sake, you’d better hope not.” Magnus smiled.

“This was lovely” Catarina clapped her hands, “but our merry band needs to get moving, and you two need to get home before dark.”

“Safe travels.” Julian said as he waved with his sister one last time. They both mounted a horse and sped off onto the road. 

“I’m sorry I chastised you earlier.” Magnus said to Alec.

“You said yourself, I’m supposed to be a symbol of hope for the people, I need them to actually believe in me.” Alec answered.

“Well, if you’re going to save every damsel in distress, there really is no time to lose.” Magnus grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for how long this took, AP season is here and I'm dying and this chapter is super long so no one is allowed to yell at me. This is the length I hope to make the rest of the future chapters moving on and in two weeks all of my AP tests will be done and my entire school day turns into a study hall, so I will be updating much more regularly.

**Author's Note:**

> If this fic in any way inspires some interest in the material it's based off, please please please message me either here or on tumblr (url: stumphwntz). I have loved this show and the books since I was a kid but I've never actually met another person who has read or watched the series which physically pains me because it is amazing and I want to talk to other people about it.


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